You might think Merkel is just another right wing toughie with Thatcher pretensions, and then she shocks us all. Proof that common sense can prevail despite political alignments, that reality can be recognised and planned for.
Merkel has set a goal for the end of coal, and nuclear power for Germany. She wants Germans to be clean green and self sufficient / sustainable. Brave women, she gets my vote for political statement of the year.
She is an opportunist like many other politicians. She changed her stand on this within a couple of hours – from pro-Nuclear to anti-Nuclear – trying to avoid the loss of a state election in Baden-Württenberg, which was governed by her party the CDU since the second world war. To no avail: The Greens are forming a coalition with the Reds (SPD or Labour) and not the other way around (Reds coalition with Green).
According to polls, this is now even a possible scenario country-wide, which means she and her party would loose power, if the election would be now.
She certainly clashed with the Atom-lobby and some prominent figures within her own party. It could mean a significant amount of penalties the government might have to pay to the Atom generating companies on top of the investment of green sustainable energy.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
Satty, you are right I dont follow German politics much, so its nice to get a closer opinion. What I found interesting was not the cynical political opportunism you point out but that a major political figure had made a statement that showed recognition of a real issue. Could you keep us up to speed with things German as it goes on?
Germany customers are looking for greener products, all Merkel is doing is exactly what Thatcher did except Merkel is moving greenward. Thatcher did not dig open the largest oil find in the world, but the stark reality of what that meant was realized by the Tories. Low cost oil would need low cost credit or the UK would be left behind.
And now the Germans ‘get it’, that the customers of the future want energy savings, and German can alter its energy economy to build those alternatives at home, and so deliver to the market products Germany will build in the future.
How is that hard to understand? Maybe its just the kiwi business mentality that customers are the enemy. Our legislative mix in NZ makes capital farming profitable, that means short changing customers and growing CEO bonuses, that switch and bait is now so routine in the NZ economy.
Distortion is how a kiwi business gets ahead in the NZ economy, it harms the economy but who cares it not like we care child poverty is up, or prisons are full, or anyone with a good idea will jump on the next flight, its how kiwis choose to do business.
And quite funny that when a leader of Germany is compared to our own reckless social leadership, foreign leaders have to take question time, they have hundreds of politicians vying for their job, not like NZ where we limit our political class to 120 + a few mayors. We are poorly led because we don’t spend enough on having more politicians, and more politics.
German is buying heavily into alternative energy because that’s where the money is.
That’s how absurd our leadership is, we sell 100% pure until it becomes fashionable and
then we got big carbon with more roads like the oil age had just started.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
The article says that Germany has had a long term commitment to green electricity generation for some time and they already source significant quantities of power from renewable sources.
BTW the Fukushima disaster is going to be ongoing. It’s not leaving any time soon.
Superannuation:
So once again, the fat cats in parliament, sitting on gilt-edged schemes of their own, are about to screw the rest of the country. “Government for the people by the people…” what a laugh.
Fascist Kyle Chapman is an idiot. He has just been on National Radio defending his particular form of idiocy with the claim that he is exercising freedom of speech.
There is freedom of speech but it is a defence rather than a weapon. It prevents the state doing anything about its exercise unless the circumstances are extreme.
But it does not prevent idiots and morons being described as such and being castigated for the crap that they may spew. The proper response is to call them idiots rather than to seek that their speech be banned.
We should never ban idiots like Chapman from expressing themselves, they need to be seen and heard for what they are so they can be treated with the contempt they deserve.
National is gambling its record support in the polls will cushion it from fallout over election campaign pledges to cut KiwiSaver and sell stakes in state assets.
As new figures show government borrowing has hit a new high of $380 million a week, Prime Minister John Key has confirmed cuts will be made to the Government’s near $1 billion annual bill for KiwiSaver.
….
He insists the cuts to make KiwiSaver “sustainable and affordable” will not breach his 2008 election pledge. That suggests National will announce the changes in the May 19 Budget but make the cuts next year after seeking a fresh mandate from voters at the November 26 election.
National’s policy in 2008 promised to keep the $1000 kickstart, keep the tax credit worth up to $1040 a year and other benefits, leaving little room for significant savings.
Taking the cuts to voters as part of the election campaign is the same approach it is using with plans to sell up to 49 per cent of state assets.
Finance Minister Bill English confirmed yesterday that the deficit this year would be the worst in New Zealand’s history at more than $16 billion.
Meanwhile, I see the righties who were crowing about a stuff poll last week, where the majority didn’t seem to be that bothered about some of Key’s spending on travel etc, aren’t saying anything about the latest stuff poll, which shows just over 50% think National is breaking it’s election promise on Kiwisaver…. oh, I see, the poll didn’t ask whether the changes should/shouldn’t be made, and now Stuff is reassuring us that Key is reassuring us that he won’t be breaking his promise… by seeking a mandate for them in a second term.
And Stuff polls always lean to the right.
PS: On the MSM and bloggers saying Labour spend to much time of criticising the government for trivialiities, and/or the government policies and not enough talking about their own policies…. on RNZ Morning Report, Cunliffe wanted to add to his criticism of the government’s policies by stating Labour’s policies, and was stopped by the interviewer.
I take anything stuff and the Herald says to do with politics with a large grain of salt.
but with all the little online polls running at about 50/50 ish maybe 40/60 in Favour of the NACTS it has to be asked with the state of Labour at the moment what’s to stop a lot of people who would normaly vote labour just say they are dead and don’t even bother to take any more notice of the media, and even worse than that they DON’T VOTE for anyone.
It’s just whale losing another court case, and wasting the courts time and money maybe instead of the $130.00 costs, they should charge him the real rate, that would be thousands, bet he would shut up then.
What puzzles me is why there isn’t more indignation. The Tea Party is the most indignant domestic political movement since Norman Thomas’s Socialist Party, but its wrath is turned in the wrong direction. It favors policies that are favorable to corporations and unfavorable to individuals. Its opposition to Obamacare is a textbook example. Insurance companies and the health care industry finance a “populist” movement that is manipulated to oppose its own interests. The billionaire Koch brothers payroll right wing front organizations that oppose labor unions and financial reform. The patriots wave their flags and don’t realize they’re being duped.
A recent OECD report has confirmed what a lot of renters already know; their residential rents are overpriced, on average by 43%. The OECD’s price-to-rent ratio shows the high over-valuation utilising figures gained in the past 20 years. Effectively renters are paying top dollar for crappy housing; that is adversely affecting their health and ability to escape the poverty trap.
So, what has caused this collapse in revenue? The recession carries some blame, certainly, leading to lower revenue from GST and company taxes. But the prime culprit here is the government’s 2010 “tax switch”, which radically cut the top tax rate. While the rise in GST – something else Key promised not to do – was supposed to compensate for this, the recession meant that it didn’t. The result has been a billion dollar a year hole in the government books, all of which has been effectively redistributed to the richest New Zealanders.
National, stealing from NZ and giving to themselves and their rich mates.
1. AMY ADAMS to the Minister of Finance: How will the Budget next week help lift national savings?
2. Hon PHIL GOFF to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement that “all savings the Government makes helps in the current financial position we are in”?
3. HILARY CALVERT to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so, why?
4. Hon DAVID CUNLIFFE to the Minister of Finance: What does he consider to be the main strategic changes required to the economy that Budget 2011 will address?
5. Dr RUSSEL NORMAN to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his comments in the House yesterday that, “intensification of dairy operations will have had some impact on our river quality…But in reality, the impact is not great…”; if so, why?
6. Hon JIM ANDERTON to the Associate Minister of Health: Is he satisfied that New Zealanders have adequate access to affordable dental healthcare?
7. JO GOODHEW to the Minister of Agriculture: What steps has the Government recently taken to support the development of water storage and irrigation?
8. Hon CLAYTON COSGROVE to the Prime Minister: Does he stand by his statement in relation to DPS that “I can’t say I do or don’t want it”?
9. KATRINA SHANKS to the Acting Minister of Energy and Resources: What recent milestones have been celebrated under the Government’s Warm Up New Zealand: Heat Smart scheme?
10. CLARE CURRAN to the Minister for Communications and Information Technology: Has he been advised that the regulatory arrangement around the ultrafast broadband network will be worth up to $600 million and who will pay for it?
11. NIKKI KAYE to the Minister of Customs: What interceptions of Contac NT has the Customs Service achieved in the last month at our border?
12. CHRIS HIPKINS to the Minister responsible for Ministerial Services: Has he now been fully briefed on all of the details regarding the replacement of VIP transport’s BMW fleet; if not, why not?
Chris Hipkins is a lightweight MP, asking lightweight questions.
[lprent: Have you read the policy yet. Read my note here. Tell me when you have done so and that you won’t waste my time in the future and I’ll drop the auto-moderation.
You should also look at the quality of your comments as well. With ones like this and the last one, I’m likely to kick you off the site as being a idiot troll. ]
Yep A light weight Chris Hipkins may be, however where the fuck does Shonkey get off on his behaviour in the house he is a rude, arrogant, evasive, dishonest, snake oil, smoke and mirrors, all carefully hidden behind the smile and wave persona, which however seems to be crumbling, his evasiveness on answers, followed by personal attacks, would beg a man who is trying to hold it all together, calmly. Whilst behind him are the slavering dogs called Brash, Act, and Crosby/Textor are baying for well not blood as much as money and votes. But blood will do.
There were som eother obvious patsies there to. That’s as bad as this approach:
Labour was truly firing in Parliament yesterday…..
Labour’s current parliamentary tactic is to turn ministers’ question-time into New Zealand’s equivalent of Prime Minister’s question-time in the British House of Commons.
The party devoted its allocation of five questions solely to going after Key.
…. – with the accuracy of an antique blunderbuss.
Kids trying to score wee points when there’s a big country to be run – most of the efforts of all MPs should be representing their constituents, for the good of the country, instead they squabble over toys.
Hmmm National received a donation from Team McMillan BMW at about the same time that the Government renewed the BMW contract. A certain smell emanates from this transaction. I wonder if the two events are related?
The story from Mallard is that John Key went to a fundraiser at BMW, the Government then signed the rollover contract and two days later a donation of $50,000 was made to the National Party by Team McMillan BMW.
Whoa! Yes. Mallard really tore into Key on that one. He said we don’t use the word “corruption” in this House, but if that happened in many other countries (UK, Thailand etc) they would call it “corruption.” And he said Key was using the behaviour of a Merril Lynch Trader and didn’t know how a PM should behave.
The National Party received a donation from a BMW franchise just days after a deal was made for the government to buy a new fleet of cars.
…
Key said he had “no responsibility for that” and that Eagleson did not remember the meeting.
“That’s the very reason why contracts, as subject to the Cabinet manual, are actually made by ministerial services to avoid accusations of inappropriate conduct,” Key said.
Key had previously claimed he was unaware of the upgrade, despite four National MPs sitting on the committee that discussed the upgrade.
Well, it’s certain that the donation was given to the National Party and at the time Labour claims. key’s latest reply is that the BMW dealership that gave the donation was not the same outfit that the Ministers’ BMW’s came from. yet the dates make it seem a very strange coioncidence.
Stuff follows Key’s line in saying it’s just Labour’s smear tactics.
Prime Minister John Key said the company named by Labour was not the one that supplied the ministerial BMW’s.
Mr Mallard went further in Parliament accusing Mr Key personally of transferring “the morals and ethics of Merrill Lynch – a company that was at the end of a lot of deals and went down when the financial crisis came” to New Zealand.
…
He later accused Labour of stooping to the gutter with false allegations and innuendo.
“In the House today Labour has falsely assorted corrupt dealings in relation to the contract between the Department of Internal Affairs and BMW NZ Ltd to roll over the VIP Transport contract.
“BMW is not the same entity as the one named by a Labour MP as having made a donation to the National Party.”
“This is not only a baseless smear on my integrity it is also a smear on the integrity of officials in the Department of Internal Affairs who are responsible for the contract.”
Key now says that the donation was made by a different company! I am convinced and apologise. Of course a company is totally unable to make a donation to a political party when a related company receives a sweetheart deal.
Perhaps someone can come up with a ‘bullshit-meter’ into which donkey fiction, fluff and manufactured facts can be periodically entered and displayed for the months leading up to the polls?
He had better be cautious, however, given the tendency of many commenters on the right (certainly on here) arguing the toss over whether or not someone on $70,000 pa is ‘wealthy’ or not (as opposed to being struggling ordinary families) whenever tax rates are discussed.
Of course, he did use the comparative ‘wealthier’ so he may not be making a claim about what amounts to being ‘wealthy’. He could have equally said ‘less poor’, I suppose? (But that might not have quite done the discursive work he wanted the phrasing to achieve.)
Funny thing is that a single income family on $70k gets less to live on than a doule income family and they both are entitled to the same WFF benefit. Until there is a recognition on disposable income there will be inconsistancies, at least Nat are comming to the realisation of looking further afield in the definition of income, something others have failed to see.
The way cost of living is going perhaps only those top CEO’s on an income above $150k will be above a livable after tax wage !!!!
Working for Families would also be better targeted at lower income families.
Yep when we find out that the last cut was a bust these are the next in line!
“We will do this gradually, in a way that minimises the impact on families.”
yes we will cut it by a few % every year that will minimise the impact on families.
Pete if you have you not yet figured it out yet, your big idol Shonkey is the naked man, who thinks he can wear a suit of the finest cut and material, But is naked and empty in reality.
But I will say this if they (NATS) and Bracula ket back into power after November I reckon you and many like you (sort of well off, got a good job, house or 2, car or 3 couple of kids, nice and secure). Give the Nacts 3 years and your power will be horrendously expensive (owned 100% off shore (Mum and dad got screwed)) some foods will be completely out of reach, you need Power remember? Petrol ??? forget it. Oil shortage, ( just came on suddenly like a hurricane (“We didn’t see it coming” ( yeah right))) Banks fail, lots of work as a prison guard for minimum wage 6.90 an Hour. Or you can get a job as a miner in anyone of the hundreds of mines where our National parks used to be. And blue sky and nice sunny beaches forget it Smelters and iron sand recoverers pour toxins into our atmosphere. Yep welcome to NZ after it has been raped and pillaged by the rich and shameless and Pete if you ain’t got 20 million plus you gonna be in the same boat, just slightly richer shit.
Welcome to NZ 2015 0.05% pure
Now does that sound like the New Zealand you would want to live in ?
They will bleed you just enough to make you feel faint but don’t die right away.
At least not till they get another term.
“Just a little prick,” say the rich pricks.
The last time I had reason to take a gecko at a KB general debate thread, there was a pretty vocal bunch spitting and fuming about the kenyan usurper, (which is par for the course), and they were pretty confidant that the great white hope taking the form of the Trumple would pull through and rid the US of that troublesome negro come the first tuesday after the first monday in November of next year.
This was laughable to me, even before Obama strangled its campaign in the crib, but was interesting in that it reminded me of the last time around when the mercans had their leckshuns and a similar bunch of KB yahoos were all excited about Giuliani, and that other fellow whose name escapes me but was most famous for pretending to be a tough nosed prosecutor on a popular and mediocre teevee show. The campaigns for those two prenders lasted a few months.
Trumps, not so much. Looks like they are going to have to find themselves a new hope. The field though, is pretty thin one has to admit.
Also, and too, the GOP is going to get The Man Called Petraeus up in front of congressional confirmation hearings and demand to know all about his views with regard to torture and such like.
This is funny, on two counts. or possibly one count with two parts, who can tell.
Them with memories may recall the TMC Petraeus is, in fact, Wyatt Earp. When he was given a triumph for his fortune in Iraq certain liberals were a bit rude in a mild kind of way and questioned the nature and scope of his success, and the truthfulness of some his assertions. They, for their trouble, were lynched. Motions were passed condemning the inappropriateness of statements questioning the honour of The Man Called Petraeus. It was quite the to-do.
As time moved on, and as aside, it became a matter of interest to some about whether or not T.M.C.P. might in fact be a little bit interested in running, himself, as a Great White Hope in 2012. This came to naught however because the Kenyan asked him to lead the mission up the Khyber, which was neat trick, some might say.
All of this sets up the situation with GOP preparing to confront T.M.C.P. about the use of torture. His views are quite well known to those that care to know, which only leaves the questions of whether the GOP is in that group thats cares to know, and if so what the fuck are playing at?
But did you see what that troublesome negro went and done at that correspondents dinner???? Roast Turkey, a Donald Turkey, oh it was a sight to see. And that should end that little hiccup in Obama land lol.
John Key tells Steven Sakar on hard talk “NZ finds itself in quite a strong position as its Gross debt to GDP is under 20% currently” , thanks to Cullen’s rainy day prudence, which is quite different to what Key tells the public back home that NZ could end up like Greece..
Yeah, it was noted some time ago that National, when it was speaking about the debt to NZ, was including private debt as well which allowed them throw around the 85% of GDP scare numbers. The only reason for them to do this would be to scare the people into accepting asset sales. If they were being honest, which seems to be inherently impossible for NACToids, they would have just counted public debt as it’s the only debt that the government can influence directly and what the asset sales would have paid off which, as you note, is only ~20% of GDP and isn’t at a level that is of any concern.
Now, the private debt is a concern but the only way that can be influenced by government is indirectly through monetary policy changes and National, so far, haven’t done anything about that. Ergo, we can assume that just don’t care about it.
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Now the Zero Carbon Bill is law, what's next? Obviously, the ETS changes currently before select committee are going to be the next battleground. But we're also going to get a good idea of where we're going, and if the progress the Zero Carbon Act promises is good enough, during ...
Grant PearceThe effects of the current Australian bushfires in New South Wales and Queensland (and also again in California) are devastating and far-reaching. To date, the fires have resulted in several lives being lost and many homes and properties destroyed. Here in New Zealand, the impacts have been only ...
A passing comment in a post the other day about the labour force participation rates of older people prompted me to pull down the fuller data and see what we could see about various participation rates over the decades since the HLFS began in 1986. As it happens, the ...
Distract And Divert: The rise of what we have come to call “Identity Politics” represents the ideological manifestation of the ruling class’s objective need to destroy class politics, and of the middle-class’s subjective need to justify their participation in the process.THE RELIEF of the ruling class can only be imagined. ...
"I saw a newspaper picture,From the political campaignA woman was kissing a child,Who was obviously in pain.She spills with compassion,As that young child'sFace in her hands she gripsCan you imagine all that greed and avariceComing down on that child's lips?" ...
Dr Matt Boyd, Prof Michael Baker, Prof Nick WilsonThe Global Health Security Index which considers pandemic threats has just been published. Unfortunately, NZ scores approximately half marks (54/100), coming in 35th in the world rankings – far behind Australia. This poor result suggests that the NZ Government needs to ...
The Zero Carbon Act is inadequate, with a weak methane target designed to give farmers a free ride. But it turns out it could have been worse: Climate Change Minister James Shaw was so desperate to get National on board, he wanted to gut that target, and leave it in ...
The Herald reprints an Australian story on a couple of tragic deaths in Bali from drinking cocktails that had methanol in them. The story argues that methanol is likely the result of home distillation. But what the young tourists were experiencing was far from a hangover. They’d consumed a toxic cocktail ...
Last month, the police announced a trial of specialist roaming armed units, which would drive round (poor, brown) areas in armoured SUVs, armed to the teeth. When they announced the trial, they told us it was about having armed police "ready to attend major incidents at any time if needed". ...
Spain went to the polls today in the second elections this year, after the Socialists (who had come to power in a confidence vote, then gone to the polls in April) rejected the offer of a coalition with the left-wing PoDemos, and instead decided to gamble n a better outcome ...
A couple of days ago I attended (and spoke at) the University of Waikato’s “LearnFest” event. There were lots of talks and sessions on very diverse aspects of teaching, mostly at tertiary level. One was by Myra Williamson from Te Piringa Faculty of Law here at Waikato, on Contract Cheating ...
There will be a transit of Mercury – the planet Mercury will pass across the face of the Sun – taking place at sunrise in New Zealand on Tuesday, 12th November. It was by observing such an event 250 years ago that James Cook and his scientist colleagues were able ...
Since becoming the world’s first openly transexual mayor and member of parliament, Georgina Beyer has been recognised as a trailblazer for trans rights. Daphna Whitmore talks with her about where she sees the current trans movement We start out talking about legislation the government put on hold that would have ...
If FFNZ really put their faith in “Top Medical Journals” they would now be amending their billboards to recognise new research results. Image from FFNZ but updated to agree with the latest research. ...
National Messiah? Chris Luxon identifies himself as an evangelical Christian. If he is genuine in this self-characterisation, then he will take every opportunity his public office provides to proselytise on behalf of his faith. He will also feel obliged to bear witness against beliefs and practices he believes to be ...
I'm going to make a Reckless Prediction™ that the Tories have 'topped out' in the 'poll of polls' / Britain Elects multipoll tracker at about 38%, and in the next week we will start to see Labour creep up on them.In fact, we might just be seeing the start of ...
by The Council of Disobedient Women Lizzie Marvelly: “I may have missed this… has @afterellen gone all terf-y? Or am I reading something incorrectly? “ https://twitter.com/LizzieMarvelly/status/1191840059105742849 After Ellen is a lesbian website that is unashamedly pro-lesbian, as you’d expect. So why is Ms Marvelly so bothered about lesbians having their ...
Did you know there once was a time when it was illegal to be a gypsy (aka Romani) in Britain?That was between 1530, when the Egyptians Act was passed, and 1856, when it was repealed.Amongst other things, the act forbade the entry of 'Egyptians' into England, ordered those already there ...
Some days I sit and think, “what will I write…?” What do you say when you get to 1000 posts? Maybe you just start where you are, diverge to where this all began, then offer a collection of reader’s favourite posts, and a few of your own? (And throw in ...
Counter-Puncher: The “activists” and “radicals” (his own words) from the Indian community who took such strong exception to Shane Jones’ remarks about Immigration NZ’s treatment of arranged marriages, may end up bitterly regretting their intervention. Jones is not the sort of person who turns the other cheek to his critics.SHANE ...
In the spirit of Remember, remember the fifth of November, let's keep this in mind FOREVER.
Oh dear. Extraordinary interview on PM with Andrew Bridgen and @EvanHD just now. Bridgen was defending Jacob Rees Mogg’s Grenfell comments. Evan asked him if JRM had meant to say he would have left ...
Collision Course? In conditions of ideological white-out, the international bankers’ “Woop-Woop! Pull Up!” warning may have come too late to save global capitalism.WHAT DOES IT MEAN when international bankers are more willing to embrace radical solutions than our politicians and their electors? At both the International Monetary Fund and the ...
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a conundrum. It is a disease that was described hundreds of years ago and the bacteria that causes it (Bordetella pertussis) isolated in 1906. We have had vaccines for about 80 years but this disease is defiant in the face of human immunity. I wanted to ...
The Zero Carbon Bill has just passed its third reading, uanimously. In the end, National supported it - but we all know they'll turn around and gut it the moment they regain power. Meanwhile, I guess ACT's David Seymour didn't even bother to show up. I am on record as ...
Dr Lindsay Robertson, Dr Jerram Bateman, Professor Janet HoekMembers of the public health community hold divergent views on how access to vaping products or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) products should be arranged. Some believe ENDS should be as widely available as smoked tobacco and argue for liberal ...
When the Police were trying to cover up for the National Party over Dirty Politics, they went all-in with their abuses of power. They illegally search Nicky Hager's house, violating his journalistic privilege and invading his privacy. They unlawfully acquired Hager's bank records. They did the same to left-wing blogger ...
Last month, in response to a wave of protests by Extinction Rebellion, the British government purported to ban their protests from the whole of London. It was a significant interference with the freedoms of expression and assembly, and another sign of the country's decline into tyranny. But now, a court ...
Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third readinginParliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...
Jenny Marcroft, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First welcomes the passage of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill through its first reading in Parliament. “Today’s progress takes serious action on the mental health and addiction crisis the country is facing,” says New Zealand First Health Spokesperson Jenny Marcroft. “The re-establishment ...
Mark Patterson, Spokesperson for Primary Industries Today the Government announced the delivery of the promise to protect New Zealand interests by applying a new National Interest Test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. This further strengthening of the Overseas Investment Act will ...
The Coalition Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high-risk assets to overseas buyers. Under current Overseas Investment Act (OIA) rules, assets such as ports and airports, telecommunications infrastructure, electricity and ...
Rt Winston Peters, Leader of New Zealand First Allegations raised this morning by Stuff Limited / Fairfax concern a party matter but I am confident that New Zealand First has operated within electoral laws, now and for the last 27 years. Declarable donations were declared to the Electoral Commission. Our ...
The chairman of the Upper North Island Supply Chain Strategy (UNISCS) working group, Wayne Brown, has hit back at critics of his group’s recommendations to relocate the Ports of Auckland cargo operations to Whangarei’s deepwater port of Northport. The working group's recommendation to close Auckland waterfront to all but cruise ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First backs the public to decide on the End of Life Choice Bill via a referendum at the 2020 General Election. The Bill, with New Zealand First’s referendum provision incorporated, passed its final reading in Parliament this evening. New Zealand First Spokesperson for ...
Darroch Ball, Spokesperson for Justice New Zealand First is proud that a key Coalition Agreement commitment which will provide for a more transparent and effective criminal justice system has been realised. Legislation to establish the Criminal Cases Review Commission, an independent body focused on identifying and responding to possible miscarriages of ...
"Today we have made a choice that will leave a legacy... I hope that means that future generations will see that we, in New Zealand, were on the right side of history." - Jacinda Ardern, Third Reading of the Zero Carbon Bill ...
Darroch Ball, New Zealand First List MP A Member’s bill has been proposed that would provide income tax exemptions for all New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel while on operational deployment overseas. The Income Tax (Exemption for Salary or Wages of NZDF Members on Active Deployment) Amendment Bill proposed by New Zealand First ...
Rt Hon Winston Peters, New Zealand First Leader New Zealand First is proud to have brought common sense to the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Amendment Bill, which passed its final reading in Parliament today. Party Leader Rt Hon Winston Peters says months of hard work went into negotiating a balanced ...
Jenny Marcroft MP, Spokesperson for Health New Zealand First has listened to calls to recognise paramedics as registered health professionals under the Health Practitioners’ Competence Assurance Act (the Act).Today, the Coalition Government announced plans for paramedics to be registered as health practitioners under the Act, and the establishment of a ...
We began the week by commemorating the New Zealand Wars and celebrating a major increase in the number of teachers. Then, we were busy supporting offenders into work and getting our rail back on track after years of underinvestment. And that's just the start! ...
In October I was sworn in as the Mayor of Lower Hutt.It’s the privilege of my life to serve Hutt people as their Mayor. There is something really special to be able to serve the community where I was raised, and where I live. ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has welcomed the first reading of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation 2021 (APEC 2021) Bill in Parliament today. The temporary bill supports New Zealand’s security preparations for hosting the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Forum in 2021. “APEC is the leading economic and trade forum ...
The Government is making progress on improving the wellbeing of the one million New Zealanders under the age of 18,” Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on World Children’s Day. The Government has today recommitted to the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history – the United Nation’s Convention on ...
Minister for Women Julie Anne Genter has released a new report celebrating the contribution of Māori women in business across Aotearoa New Zealand. “Māori women are leaders in our communities, they employ many people and support our economy and our communities,” Julie Anne Genter said. The report, Ngā wāhine kaipakihi: ...
Four parcels of land have been bought in Omokoroa, in the Western Bay of Plenty District, for an education facility that will accommodate both a primary and secondary school on a campus-like facility, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. Two parcels were acquired from private land owners and two were ...
1 million New Zealanders warmed by the Winter Energy Payment 36,000 families bank the Best Start Payment in first year 6,000 more families received the Family Tax Credit, 220,600 in total They receive an increase too – from an average of $117 to $157 a week for Inland Revenue clients, ...
New rules to clamp down on overzealous wheel clamping and extortionate fees charged in order to release a vehicle have passed their final stage in Parliament today. The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill has now passed its third reading. “These changes mean $100 will be the maximum wheel clamping ...
An independent Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission is a step closer after it unanimously passed its first vote in Parliament today. The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Bill lays the groundwork for establishing the Commission as a fully independent crown entity – delivering on a key recommendation of He Ara ...
We’ve improved border security with the NZeTA, New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority, which helps us to screen travellers for border and immigration risks off-shore before they travel to New Zealand. It was launched in August and became mandatory on 1 October 2019. More than 500,000 NZeTAs have been issued since ...
A proposed national plan of action to reduce the number of seabirds caught in fisheries is being circulated for public feedback. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash and Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage say New Zealand is a global centre of seabird diversity with about 145 species in our waters. It has more ...
The Government is delivering on its promise to protect New Zealanders’ interests by applying a new national interest test to the sales of our most sensitive and high risk assets to overseas buyers. Associate Finance Minister David Parker said under current Overseas Investment Act rules, assets such as ports and ...
The Government is building special housing to accommodate one of Aotearoa’s greatest taonga- our kaumātua, says the Minister for Māori Development, Hon Nanaia Mahuta. Speaking at a National Kaumātua Service Providers Conference in Rotorua today, the Minister reinforced the importance kaumātua play in maintaining and passing on mātauranga Māori, knowledge, ...
Eleven men from a pilot forestry training programme for prisoners in Northland now have full time jobs or job offers upon release, Corrections Minister Kelvin Davis and Forestry Minister Shane Jones announced today. The ‘release to work’ programme was a collaboration between Te Uru Rākau and the Department of Corrections, ...
Minister of State Services Chris Hipkins today introduced into Parliament a Bill that will make it easier for the public service to tackle the biggest challenges facing Governments. The Bill represents the most significant change in the public service in 30 years. The State Sector Act 1988 will be repealed ...
The families of more than 416,000 students will be better off next year as their schools have signed up to the Government’s donations scheme, Education Minister Chris Hipkins said today. The scheme will see almost $62.5 million in additional Government funding go to schools nationwide next year. “I’m really pleased ...
Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has announced further support as the Government of Samoa responds to a serious measles outbreak. “New Zealand will deploy a further 18 vaccination nurses, bringing the total to 30 working in Samoa over the next four weeks,” Mr Peters said. “A New Zealand Medical Assistance ...
Fa’atalofa atu, malo e lelei, Kia ora koutou katoa Thank you to the Child Poverty Action Group for asking me to be here today to provide an update on some of the things that have been happening across my the social development portfolio. Can I firstly acknowledge the vast ...
***Please check against delivery*** Good morning everyone. It is a pleasure to be with you this morning to open this year’s New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Conference and AGM. Firstly, thank you Dr Alan Jackson, NZTR Chair for your introduction. And let us acknowledge also: The NZTR Board; Dean McKenzie, Chair ...
The Government has delivered on its promise to the over one million New Zealanders who now rent to make it fairer and more secure, Associate Minister of Housing (Public Housing) Kris Faafoi has announced today. Both renters and landlords will benefit from the suite of practical changes to the Residential ...
A marine conservation milestone - the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve - is being celebrated today at a community event in Tairāwhiti/East Coast attended by the Minister of Conservation, Eugenie Sage. “The creation of this marine reserve in November 1999 was a game ...
The Government is asking the food industry to step up work to tackle obesity including reducing sugar, fat and salt in their products, better information for consumers, and tighter restrictions on advertising to children. Health Minister David Clark and Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor have responded to a ...
ew, modern emergency department and outpatient facilities at Queenstown’s Lakes District Hospital mean better emergency care for the growing tourist mecca’s visitors and locals, says Health Minister David Clark. Today Dr Clark officially opened the hospital’s redeveloped Emergency Department and Outpatient facilities. The new facilities include: • An extended Emergency Department ...
Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter says today’s release of sexual and reproductive health data reinforces the significance of the Government’s commitment to providing free or very low-cost contraception. The Ministry of Health today published statistics from the Ministry of Health’s 2014/15 Health Survey. “It is important people can make ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has announced that at the request of the Samoan Government, New Zealand will be providing further support to Samoa as it faces a worsening measles outbreak. “In response to a request from the people of Samoa, New Zealand is providing 3000 measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) ...
“The new Disability Action Plan 2019–2023 moves us towards the inclusive and accessible New Zealand that this government has committed to,” Minister for Disability Issues Carmel Sepuloni announced today. “The Action Plan was designed by disabled people, their family and supporters, the disability sector and government agencies. It will ensure ...
Third Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting 14 November 2019 Joint Statement 1. Defence Ministers Ron Mark and Dr Ng Eng Hen today conducted their third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting in Singapore. 2. Building on the Enhanced Partnership signed between both countries in May this year, this annual meeting ...
A Bill to improve the court system’s response to sexual violence has passed its first reading in Parliament today. Justice Minister Andrew Little says the Sexual Violence Legislation Bill will reduce the trauma sexual violence complainants experience in court, while maintaining defendants’ fundamental rights and making sure the trial process ...
Streamlined payment practices are a step closer for Kiwi businesses with the formal launch of New Zealand’s e-Invoicing framework. Small Business Minister Stuart Nash says the government has now established the structure to enable automated and direct data exchange between the accounting systems of buyers and sellers. “The move to ...
Another 51 quarantine officers and four new biosecurity detector dog teams will help protect New Zealand from invasive pests and diseases this summer, says Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “The Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen New Zealand’s biosecurity system and support our valuable primary sector “New Zealand’s flora, fauna ...
A new report has found New Zealand’s space sector contributed $1.69 billion to the economy in the last financial year and employs 12,000 people, Minister for Economic Development Phil Twyford announced today. The report by Deloitte was commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment and shows New Zealand ...
Judge Coral Shaw has been appointed as the new Chair of the Royal Commission into Historical Abuse in State Care and in the Care of Faith-based Institutions, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. "Judge Shaw, who is currently one of the inquiry commissioners, is extremely well qualified for the ...
The Government has confirmed its third major mental health facility upgrade since the Budget, this time at Palmerston North Hospital. The Prime Minister and Health Minister today visited MidCentral DHB to announce that $30 million has been allocated to upgrade its acute mental health facility. It follows earlier announcements in ...
The roll out of the National Bowel Screening Programme has reached the halfway mark, with 10 out of 20 District Health Boards now part of the programme. MidCentral DHB, which covers Palmerston North, Manawatu and surrounding districts, this week became the latest to DHB to offer free bowel screening to ...
The Government welcomes PHARMAC’s decision to fund a vaccine to protect young people from meningococcal disease from 1 December this year. “Meningococcal disease is a serious threat which people at higher risk should be protected from,” says Associate Health Minister Julie Anne Genter. “The combined pharmaceutical budget was increased by ...
Groups involved with innovative fisheries research projects are encouraged to apply for government support in the latest funding round from the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures programme. Fisheries Minister Stuart Nash says the SFF Futures funding is designed to be flexible enough to support small or large projects across a ...
The Government has fixed an issue affecting how Immigration New Zealand has processed visa applications for culturally arranged marriages, which will now see a consistent process applied which ensures people with legitimate arranged marriages can visit New Zealand while also preventing any rorting of the system. Earlier this year Immigration ...
The Royal Commission into the Attacks on Christchurch Mosques will report back on 30 April 2020 to give it more time to hear submissions and consider information, Internal Affairs Minister Tracey Martin announced today. The Royal Commission was originally scheduled to report back to Government by 10 December 2019. “There has ...
Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Washington DC today to attend a ministerial meeting focused on defeating ISIS, and to continue pursuing New Zealand’s trade opportunities. Mr Peters will participate in a meeting of Foreign and Defence Ministers from key countries contributing to the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS. ...
The recently crowned Bird of the Year, the hoiho/yellow eyed penguin, is getting a much needed helping hand alongside more than 168 other community conservation projects announced Minister for Conservation Eugenie Sage today. 168 community conservation projects throughout New Zealand are benefiting from $8 million in government grants, including $500,000 ...
Controls on assault rifles and semi-automatic firearms are to be broadened to include some types of pistols, under changes to a bill currently making its way through Parliament. Police Minister Stuart Nash has tabled a Supplementary Order Paper to the Arms Legislation Bill, which is currently before a Select Committee ...
Minister of Defence Ron Mark will travel to Singapore today to conduct a counterpart visit and to co-chair the third annual Singapore-New Zealand Defence Ministers’ Meeting with his counterpart, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen. “Singapore is one of our most important defence partners in the region, and our ...
News that one big publisher wants to buy the other, giving the state a Kiwishare to avoid regulatory objections, complicates a media crisis the government hasn't yet addressed. ...
A flash new playground has been unveiled on Parliament's grounds today, amid growing calls for the government to take more action to help lift Kiwi kids out of poverty. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne Two and a half months before the February 3 Iowa Democratic caucus, the highly regarded Selzer poll for CNN and the Des Moines Register gave Pete Buttigieg 25% in Iowa ...
A bill allowing overseas security agents to carry illegal guns while in New Zealand for the APEC summit has passed its first reading, without support from the Greens. ...
The Labour led coalition government is continuing to create homelessness. The impact of immigration, failure of Kiwibuild, and attacks on the rental market, have resulted in the opposite outcomes that New Zealanders were promised. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Danielle Every, Senior Research Fellow in social vulnerability and disasters, CQUniversity Australia If you live in a bushfire-prone area, you’ll likely have considered what you will do in the event of a bushfire. The decision, which should be made well in advance ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni Di Virgilio, Research associate, UNSW Temperatures across many regions of Australia are set to exceed 40℃ this week, including heatwaves forecast throughout parts of eastern Australia, raising the spectre of more devastating bushfires. We have already heard warnings this fire season ...
Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) says that the Government’s Families Package Monitoring Report shows strong commitment to the intentions outlined in the Child Poverty Reduction Act, specifically with regard to reporting on progressing towards ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Giovanni Di Virgilio, Research associate, UNSW Temperatures across many regions of Australia are set to exceed 40℃ this week, including heatwaves forecast throughout parts of eastern Australia, raising the spectre of more devastating bushfires. We have already heard warnings this fire season ...
Today leading Māori health and public health organisations called on the Crown to meet its obligations under Te Tiriti o Waitangi as it drafts legislation for the regulation of cannabis. More than 50 Māori leaders joined the call for Māori rights ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Claudia Vickers, Director, Synthetic Biology Future Science Platform, CSIRO We need to revolutionise agriculture in the next 30 years. In 2050 we may have almost 10 billion people to feed. Farmland is already degraded by existing agriculture, and climate change is putting ...
Between now and March 2020 there is a small window where migrants who work in industries like aged care will have a realistic chance to get residency for the first time. This is due to ANZSCO skill levels being reclassified in Australia and some of those ...
Spinoff Art editor Mark Amery and photographer Ebony Lamb pay a visit to the internationally celebrated jewellery couple at their colonial cottage above Island Bay.The white horses are galloping in from the Cook Strait as photographer and singer-songwriter Ebony Lamb (Eb and Sparrow) and I roll in to Island Bay, ...
New powers to protect strategically-important assets from overseas investors are necessary due to the extremes of global capitalism, the government says. ...
Don’t get sucked in by the jovial banter and the sausage sizzle with Jacinda Ardern. Stephen Colbert is an international criminal mastermind who must be stopped. New Zealand is fizzing today with the exciting news that someone from another country has noticed that we exist. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ...
When the 59 new constables of Wing 332 graduate on Thursday, one of them will be the 1,800th new constable to head to the frontline since October 2017. ...
Extending the amnesty period for the return of banned firearms is utterly pointless unless the compensation period is extended as well, says the Council of Licenced Firearms Owners (COLFO). ...
The Taxpayers Union denounced the role it seemed the government would require taxpayers to play in resolving the Ihumatao land dispute. But the union further claimed that taxpayers had contributed to the funding of an organisation which has been involved in the prolonged protest action at Ihumatao. This was a ...
Save the Children are extremely pleased by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s announcement today that the Government will recommit to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). ...
David Farrier has been writing about clamping enthusiast Michael Organ for nearly three years. In this latest installment, the totally logical thing happens and the New Zealand government rolls up its sleeves.Catch up with the extraordinary saga of the clamp-happy Bashford Antiques: Parts I to V are hereWhen Michael Organ ...
In October teams of second-year Unitec Architecture students designed, modelled, then constructed interactive light installations in Devonport’s Windsor Reserve for GLOW@Artweek. The brief is strict. Their budget is zero. And the installations must be zero waste too, both in the construction and in the afterlife of the projects. These strict conditions ...
A wave of reviews and inquiries into audit around the globe are raising questions about trust, independence, and freedom from conflicts of interest in the profession, says CAANZ President Stephen Walker. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Labor frontbencher Chris Bowen, who has previously been shadow treasurer and before that treasurer, wants the study of economics made “more sexy” to attract more students, especially women, to study it. And he thinks young ...
Jenée Tibshraeny of interest.co.nz surveys the issues that have farmers worried right now, and looks at the facts behind the fears.Rumblings from the dairy farming sector are becoming increasingly loud, as both the Government and Reserve Bank (RBNZ) make policy changes that affect the sector.New Zealand has for years milked ...
He Kākano Ahau is a podcast by writer and activist Kahu Kutia (Ngāi Tūhoe) that explores stories of Māori in the city, and weaves together strands of connection. In this episode: what happens when Māori are not ‘urban Māori’ as we know them, but mana whenua.For episode four of He ...
New powers to protect strategically-important assets from overseas investors are necessary due to the extremes of global capitalism, the government says. ...
The Children’s Commissioner is calling on the government to re-prioritise its commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (the Children’s Convention) on International Children’s Day. ...
National Party leaders Simon Bridges wants Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to take stronger action over allegations that New Zealand First has breached electoral law. ...
"Prince Charles’ visit to Waitangi today, the first by a Royal in a quarter-century, highlights Moana Jackson’s view that it is kāwanatanga that is the Treaty partner," said Lewis Holden, campaign chair of New Zealand Republic. ...
Seriously, if you haven’t seen The Mandalorian, look away now. This article also contains spoilers for Return of the Jedi, The Phantom Menace, Return of the Sith, and The Last Jedi.In case you didn’t read the standfirst: this article contains spoilers about The Mandalorian, and also all of Star Wars.The ...
Editor’s Note: Here below is a list of the main issues currently under discussion in New Zealand and links to media coverage.New Zealand Parliament Buildings, Wellington, New Zealand.Today’s content by Dr Bryce Edwards.NZ First Matt Shand (Stuff): What NZ First slush fund was spent on: Campaign HQ, ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By David Cook, Lecturer, Computer and Security Science,Edith Cowan University, Edith Cowan University Fake videos and doctored photographs, often based on events such as the Moon landing and supposed UFO appearances, have been the subject of fascination for decades. Such imagery is often ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Evelyn Parr, Research Fellow in Exercise Metabolism and Nutrition, Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research, Australian Catholic University As an aesthetic society, we often demonise body fat and stigmatise people with lots of it. There’s often an assumption that people carrying excess ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By James Renwick, Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Victoria University of Wellington CC BY-NDClimate Explained is a collaboration between The Conversation, Stuff and the New Zealand Science Media Centre to answer your questions about climate change.If you have a question you’d like ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Larissa McLean Davies, Associate Professor Language and Literacy Education, University of Melbourne In recent weeks, Australian universities’ commitment to teaching Australian literature has come under scrutiny. This came amid revelations Sydney University has withdrawn funding from its Chair of Australian Literature – ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Maund, PhD Candidate, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle The impacts of the bushfires that are overwhelming emergency services in New South Wales and Queensland suggest houses are being built in areas where the risks are high. We ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Andreas Cebulla, Senior Research Fellow, South Australian Centre for Economic Studies, University of Adelaide In the past decade a 30-year trend to earlier retirement has been reversed. In OECD countries the average age at which people retire has risen by about one ...
Correspondence between MPI (Fisheries NZ) and NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmosphere), obtained by Sea Shepherd under the Official Information Act, shows conclusively that MPI unreasonably influenced the research they had contracted from ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Gay Hawkins, Professor, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney University Most of us will never see a platypus or a lyrebird in the wild, but it’s likely we’ve encountered them on television. Our new research looks at the vital role early ...
The release of the proposed new electoral boundaries is an appropriate time to consider whether our electoral system is fit for purpose or needs a complete revamp. ...
Winston Peters says his party has always obeyed electoral law after new revelations about foundation; and RBNZ steps up BNZ supervision after capital calculation breaches. ...
The government has released statistics showing uptake of its budgeted welfare package two days after it was criticised over inaction on child poverty reduction. ...
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Pressure mounts over NZ First Foundation, range of changes made to overseas investment office, and accusations of bottom trawling destroying coral.The allegations swirling around the NZ First Foundation are serious enough to warrant going back to again today. Party leader Winston ...
Are possible solutions to child maltreatment complicated? Yes. Quantum physics? No. The University of Auckland's Dr Ian Hyslop looks at how we can address child abuse as a social problem. ...
Erica Dawson didn't want to be another female who dropped out of sailing, so now she's focused on the Tokyo Olympics and being a role model instead ...
If what has been reported is both true and not a breach of the rules for political donations, then New Zealand’s reputation for for being squeaky clean looks like a joke, writes electoral law expert Andrew Geddis.Anyone paying attention to New Zealand political parties and how they run their election ...
New Zealanders like to claim moral superiority over their Australian neighbours when it comes to how asylum seekers are treated. But this belief is not based on reality, writes Tim Maurice of the Asylum Seekers Support TrustThe local news media has welcomed Iranian asylum seeker Behrouz Boochani into New Zealand ...
Sometimes it’s a great job being a news editor. Like the BBC staffer putting together the national news for radio on Tuesday morning.Lead off with the Conservative party election pledge to increase the life sentence for child murderers to … er … really life. Add factual qualification: this might ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government is responding to increasing concern about the faltering economy by bringing forward A$3.8 billion of infrastructure investment into the next four years, including $1.8 billion for the current and next financial years. Scott ...
Power Play - Rumours of dodgy political donations, Winston Peters full of bluster and denial, and potentially a drawn-out series of combative but ultimately meaningless exchanges with the press gallery. ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra The government has overhauled its much-criticised robo-debt scheme which has seen many welfare recipients asked to repay money they do not owe. A Tuesday email to staff in the Human Services department’s customer compliance division ...
Open mike 11/05/2011 
Satellites pass over NZ all the time (literally). Here I focus on the 187 Planet Labs ‘Dove’ Earth-imaging satellites, and I show that one can determine in advance where they will be, enabling scientists on the ground to correlate their environmental and other data collection with opportunities to get imaging ...2 hours ago
The Council of Disobedient Women has learned that the Prefect of Aro Valley has been promoted to a new role with the blessing of the Pope of Wellington. Softy Jejune Parson has been appointed Mother Superior of Woke Wellington for the work she has been doing calling out heretics, ...4 hours ago
On both sides of the Atlantic, some purportedly “contentious” and “difficult to deal with” leadership contenders to lead the US and UK, as President and Prime Minister respectively, seem to have thrown a few spanners into the works of the normal messaging most are used to hearing constantly. Except they’re ...5 hours ago
In Question Time today the Prime Minister was naturally facing questions about Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters and his dubious party financing arrangements, which seem to violate electoral finance law. Her response was to pretend that it was nothing to do with her, and that she is not responsible for ...10 hours ago
It has been revealed that firing ranges used by the NZDF while deployed to the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Bamyan Province, Afghanistan, contained unexploded ordnance that caused numerous deaths and injuries after the NZDF withdrew the PRT in April 2013. In 2014 seven children were killed when an unidentified ...16 hours ago
Didn't See It Coming: NZ Herald columnist Lizzie Marvelly's latest column merits serious scrutiny because such a clear example of anti-democratic thinking is encountered only rarely on the pages of the daily press. Which is not to say that the elitism which lies at the heart of such social disparagement ...2 days ago
by Gearóid Ó Loingsigh Initially it was reported that in an aerial bombardment that took place on August 30th seven children were massacred; the figure then went up to eight and then on November 11th Noticias Uno reported that, according to people from the community in close proximity to the ...2 days ago
MediaWorks announced in October 2019 that it intended to sell off its struggling television business and cancel or cut back on several popular local programmes, including New Zealand Today, Married at First Sight New Zealand and 7 Days. Its radio and outdoor advertising arms are currently performing well, but MediaWorks’ ...3 days ago
There is an article in The Conversation, written by Jeremy P. Shapiro (Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University), about what he sees as the psychologically-based underpinnings of three main matters that seem to vex people all around the planet. The article is titled “The Thinking ...4 days ago
. . Blogger Martyn Bradbury has won his case against unreasonable search and surveillance against the NZ Police; and subsequent Police attempts to produce evidence in secrecy, in a closed Court. His case highlights a disturbing growing trend in Aotearoa New Zealand for State power to be used against ...5 days ago
by The Council of Disobedient Women In her excellent oral submission to the Abortion reform select committee on 31st October on behalf of Otago University’s Department of Public Health, historian and public health researcher Hera Cook stated: “We would ask that the committee not use the term ‘pregnant persons’ and ...1 week ago
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Clayton Mitchell, Spokesperson for Consumer Affairs The ‘wheel clamping’ Bill that will cap clamper fees to $100 passed its third reading in Parliament today. New Zealand First welcomes The Land Transport (Wheel Clamping) Amendment Bill to combat predatory wheel clamping behaviour in what is currently a largely unregulated business. Cowboy clampers are: gouging ...15 hours ago
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Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Adrian Beaumont, Honorary Associate, School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Melbourne Two and a half months before the February 3 Iowa Democratic caucus, the highly regarded Selzer poll for CNN and the Des Moines Register gave Pete Buttigieg 25% in Iowa ...7 hours ago
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Spinoff Art editor Mark Amery and photographer Ebony Lamb pay a visit to the internationally celebrated jewellery couple at their colonial cottage above Island Bay.The white horses are galloping in from the Cook Strait as photographer and singer-songwriter Ebony Lamb (Eb and Sparrow) and I roll in to Island Bay, ...10 hours ago
New powers to protect strategically-important assets from overseas investors are necessary due to the extremes of global capitalism, the government says. ...10 hours ago
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Zespri is pursuing legal action in China to stop the spread of pirated kiwifruit cuttings. ...12 hours ago
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The National Party leader Simon Bridges says the Prime Minister can not distance herself from allegations against her coalition partner. ...16 hours ago
Winston Peters says his party has always obeyed electoral law after new revelations about foundation; and RBNZ steps up BNZ supervision after capital calculation breaches. ...17 hours ago
Money from a NZ First-linked slush fund was reportedly spent for campaign purposes and kept secret from party officials and MPs. ...17 hours ago
Are possible solutions to child maltreatment complicated? Yes. Quantum physics? No. The University of Auckland's Dr Ian Hyslop looks at how we can address child abuse as a social problem. ...19 hours ago
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Sometimes it’s a great job being a news editor. Like the BBC staffer putting together the national news for radio on Tuesday morning. Lead off with the Conservative party election pledge to increase the life sentence for child murderers to … er … really life. Add factual qualification: this might ...22 hours ago
More politics will be added into the mix when it comes to the issue of foreign ownership. ...1 day ago
You might think Merkel is just another right wing toughie with Thatcher pretensions, and then she shocks us all. Proof that common sense can prevail despite political alignments, that reality can be recognised and planned for.
Merkel has set a goal for the end of coal, and nuclear power for Germany. She wants Germans to be clean green and self sufficient / sustainable. Brave women, she gets my vote for political statement of the year.
http://www.energybulletin.net/stories/2011-05-09/germany%E2%80%99s-unlikely-champion-radical-green-energy-path
You obviously don’t follow German politics much.
She is an opportunist like many other politicians. She changed her stand on this within a couple of hours – from pro-Nuclear to anti-Nuclear – trying to avoid the loss of a state election in Baden-Württenberg, which was governed by her party the CDU since the second world war. To no avail: The Greens are forming a coalition with the Reds (SPD or Labour) and not the other way around (Reds coalition with Green).
According to polls, this is now even a possible scenario country-wide, which means she and her party would loose power, if the election would be now.
She certainly clashed with the Atom-lobby and some prominent figures within her own party. It could mean a significant amount of penalties the government might have to pay to the Atom generating companies on top of the investment of green sustainable energy.
So as soon as Fukushima, the “nuclear fear” evaporates and the Green’s poll results are lower, this will almost certainly changes again.
Satty, you are right I dont follow German politics much, so its nice to get a closer opinion. What I found interesting was not the cynical political opportunism you point out but that a major political figure had made a statement that showed recognition of a real issue. Could you keep us up to speed with things German as it goes on?
Germany customers are looking for greener products, all Merkel is doing is exactly what Thatcher did except Merkel is moving greenward. Thatcher did not dig open the largest oil find in the world, but the stark reality of what that meant was realized by the Tories. Low cost oil would need low cost credit or the UK would be left behind.
And now the Germans ‘get it’, that the customers of the future want energy savings, and German can alter its energy economy to build those alternatives at home, and so deliver to the market products Germany will build in the future.
How is that hard to understand? Maybe its just the kiwi business mentality that customers are the enemy. Our legislative mix in NZ makes capital farming profitable, that means short changing customers and growing CEO bonuses, that switch and bait is now so routine in the NZ economy.
Distortion is how a kiwi business gets ahead in the NZ economy, it harms the economy but who cares it not like we care child poverty is up, or prisons are full, or anyone with a good idea will jump on the next flight, its how kiwis choose to do business.
And quite funny that when a leader of Germany is compared to our own reckless social leadership, foreign leaders have to take question time, they have hundreds of politicians vying for their job, not like NZ where we limit our political class to 120 + a few mayors. We are poorly led because we don’t spend enough on having more politicians, and more politics.
German is buying heavily into alternative energy because that’s where the money is.
That’s how absurd our leadership is, we sell 100% pure until it becomes fashionable and
then we got big carbon with more roads like the oil age had just started.
The article says that Germany has had a long term commitment to green electricity generation for some time and they already source significant quantities of power from renewable sources.
BTW the Fukushima disaster is going to be ongoing. It’s not leaving any time soon.
Superannuation:
So once again, the fat cats in parliament, sitting on gilt-edged schemes of their own, are about to screw the rest of the country. “Government for the people by the people…” what a laugh.
“gilt edged”…….. don’t you mean platinum ?
http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-star-times/news/34339
Fascist Kyle Chapman is an idiot. He has just been on National Radio defending his particular form of idiocy with the claim that he is exercising freedom of speech.
There is freedom of speech but it is a defence rather than a weapon. It prevents the state doing anything about its exercise unless the circumstances are extreme.
But it does not prevent idiots and morons being described as such and being castigated for the crap that they may spew. The proper response is to call them idiots rather than to seek that their speech be banned.
We should never ban idiots like Chapman from expressing themselves, they need to be seen and heard for what they are so they can be treated with the contempt they deserve.
Unbelievable arrogance, not to mention rewarding their big support by punishing their supporters:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/budget-2011/4986635/Nats-bet-on-support-for-KiwiSaver-cuts
Meanwhile, I see the righties who were crowing about a stuff poll last week, where the majority didn’t seem to be that bothered about some of Key’s spending on travel etc, aren’t saying anything about the latest stuff poll, which shows just over 50% think National is breaking it’s election promise on Kiwisaver…. oh, I see, the poll didn’t ask whether the changes should/shouldn’t be made, and now Stuff is reassuring us that Key is reassuring us that he won’t be breaking his promise… by seeking a mandate for them in a second term.
And Stuff polls always lean to the right.
PS: On the MSM and bloggers saying Labour spend to much time of criticising the government for trivialiities, and/or the government policies and not enough talking about their own policies…. on RNZ Morning Report, Cunliffe wanted to add to his criticism of the government’s policies by stating Labour’s policies, and was stopped by the interviewer.
I take anything stuff and the Herald says to do with politics with a large grain of salt.
but with all the little online polls running at about 50/50 ish maybe 40/60 in Favour of the NACTS it has to be asked with the state of Labour at the moment what’s to stop a lot of people who would normaly vote labour just say they are dead and don’t even bother to take any more notice of the media, and even worse than that they DON’T VOTE for anyone.
Another pathetic crim wastes valuable court time on a pointless appeal:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/4988702/Blogger-loses-suppression-conviction-appeal
It’s just whale losing another court case, and wasting the courts time and money maybe instead of the $130.00 costs, they should charge him the real rate, that would be thousands, bet he would shut up then.
Mind you we should all have access to the courts. Part of democracy/justice.
I often watch question time in parliament, but hadn’t ever taken notice of questions for written answer. There’s some interesting questions in there:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QWA/
Preaching to choir but Roger Ebert says it all with: The One-Percenters.
What puzzles me is why there isn’t more indignation. The Tea Party is the most indignant domestic political movement since Norman Thomas’s Socialist Party, but its wrath is turned in the wrong direction. It favors policies that are favorable to corporations and unfavorable to individuals. Its opposition to Obamacare is a textbook example. Insurance companies and the health care industry finance a “populist” movement that is manipulated to oppose its own interests. The billionaire Koch brothers payroll right wing front organizations that oppose labor unions and financial reform. The patriots wave their flags and don’t realize they’re being duped.
Rental Properties Over-priced by 43%
http://thejackalman.blogspot.com/2011/05/rental-properties-over-valued-by-43.html
A recent OECD report has confirmed what a lot of renters already know; their residential rents are overpriced, on average by 43%. The OECD’s price-to-rent ratio shows the high over-valuation utilising figures gained in the past 20 years. Effectively renters are paying top dollar for crappy housing; that is adversely affecting their health and ability to escape the poverty trap.
Collapsing Revenue
National, stealing from NZ and giving to themselves and their rich mates.
And someone should really tell Charles Chauvel that having his web address (www.charles2011.co.nz) redirecting to his Facebook page isn’t helping.
Questions for orasl answer were quite late going online today. I wonder what the hold up was. Anyway, looks to be a fiery session:
http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/Business/QOA/2/f/3/00HOH_OralQuestions-List-of-questions-for-oral-answer.htm
Chris Hipkins is a lightweight MP, asking lightweight questions.
[lprent: Have you read the policy yet. Read my note here. Tell me when you have done so and that you won’t waste my time in the future and I’ll drop the auto-moderation.
You should also look at the quality of your comments as well. With ones like this and the last one, I’m likely to kick you off the site as being a idiot troll. ]
You’re a light weight poster spreading other people’s opinons as you are told to. How sad, how spineless, never mind.
Actually, the supplementary involves a question about the subsequent $50,000 donation to the National Party, after the spending on the BMW upgrade.
Yep A light weight Chris Hipkins may be, however where the fuck does Shonkey get off on his behaviour in the house he is a rude, arrogant, evasive, dishonest, snake oil, smoke and mirrors, all carefully hidden behind the smile and wave persona, which however seems to be crumbling, his evasiveness on answers, followed by personal attacks, would beg a man who is trying to hold it all together, calmly. Whilst behind him are the slavering dogs called Brash, Act, and Crosby/Textor are baying for well not blood as much as money and votes. But blood will do.
That’s a depressingly trivial set of questions. What the heck is this sort of thing aiming at?
3. HILARY CALVERT to the Prime Minister: Does he have confidence in all his Ministers; if so, why?
Is she trying to put the PM on the spot (has he got time to detail his reasons on all of them)?
Or is she trying to expose Hide?
It would be good if parliament could at least pretend to be mature.
It is the Act poodle party doing patsy questions for Key.
It allows him to waffle on about his minister and how good they all are (bears no resemblance to the lacklustre screwups that they actually are).
Actually, her supplementaries involved being critical of Nats for not supporting a re-introduction of the youth wage.
There were som eother obvious patsies there to. That’s as bad as this approach:
Kids trying to score wee points when there’s a big country to be run – most of the efforts of all MPs should be representing their constituents, for the good of the country, instead they squabble over toys.
Antique blunderbuss’ are perfect for sorting out right wing pirates at close range.
Hmmm National received a donation from Team McMillan BMW at about the same time that the Government renewed the BMW contract. A certain smell emanates from this transaction. I wonder if the two events are related?
The story from Mallard is that John Key went to a fundraiser at BMW, the Government then signed the rollover contract and two days later a donation of $50,000 was made to the National Party by Team McMillan BMW.
What is that word starting with “C” again?
Whoa! Yes. Mallard really tore into Key on that one. He said we don’t use the word “corruption” in this House, but if that happened in many other countries (UK, Thailand etc) they would call it “corruption.” And he said Key was using the behaviour of a Merril Lynch Trader and didn’t know how a PM should behave.
Good on Mallard! 🙂
Did they make any donations to any parties when the contract was put in place three years ago? Can you check back that far?
Well, according to Mallard it’s just not in the Labour playbook…. so he’s saying, “no”.
PeteG
You really are a piece. A sign of possible corruption and you trot out CT counter attack line no 1, “say they did it too”.
Go on, agree that it is a bad look and should be investigated.
And after that come up with a shred of evidence to back up your smear.
And this was Key’s response to the allegation:
http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/national-took-bmw-donation-after-deal-4166130
Wow, just wow.
PM BMW is in the news again. Norty norty
Well, it’s certain that the donation was given to the National Party and at the time Labour claims. key’s latest reply is that the BMW dealership that gave the donation was not the same outfit that the Ministers’ BMW’s came from. yet the dates make it seem a very strange coioncidence.
Stuff follows Key’s line in saying it’s just Labour’s smear tactics.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/politics/4990710/Labour-Key-come-to-verbal-blows
Key now says that the donation was made by a different company! I am convinced and apologise. Of course a company is totally unable to make a donation to a political party when a related company receives a sweetheart deal.
How could I be so wrong?
Perhaps someone can come up with a ‘bullshit-meter’ into which donkey fiction, fluff and manufactured facts can be periodically entered and displayed for the months leading up to the polls?
Working for Families targeted:
That sounds like a sensible change.
He had better be cautious, however, given the tendency of many commenters on the right (certainly on here) arguing the toss over whether or not someone on $70,000 pa is ‘wealthy’ or not (as opposed to being struggling ordinary families) whenever tax rates are discussed.
Of course, he did use the comparative ‘wealthier’ so he may not be making a claim about what amounts to being ‘wealthy’. He could have equally said ‘less poor’, I suppose? (But that might not have quite done the discursive work he wanted the phrasing to achieve.)
Funny thing is that a single income family on $70k gets less to live on than a doule income family and they both are entitled to the same WFF benefit. Until there is a recognition on disposable income there will be inconsistancies, at least Nat are comming to the realisation of looking further afield in the definition of income, something others have failed to see.
The way cost of living is going perhaps only those top CEO’s on an income above $150k will be above a livable after tax wage !!!!
Working for Families would also be better targeted at lower income families.
Yep when we find out that the last cut was a bust these are the next in line!
“We will do this gradually, in a way that minimises the impact on families.”
yes we will cut it by a few % every year that will minimise the impact on families.
Pete if you have you not yet figured it out yet, your big idol Shonkey is the naked man, who thinks he can wear a suit of the finest cut and material, But is naked and empty in reality.
But I will say this if they (NATS) and Bracula ket back into power after November I reckon you and many like you (sort of well off, got a good job, house or 2, car or 3 couple of kids, nice and secure). Give the Nacts 3 years and your power will be horrendously expensive (owned 100% off shore (Mum and dad got screwed)) some foods will be completely out of reach, you need Power remember? Petrol ??? forget it. Oil shortage, ( just came on suddenly like a hurricane (“We didn’t see it coming” ( yeah right))) Banks fail, lots of work as a prison guard for minimum wage 6.90 an Hour. Or you can get a job as a miner in anyone of the hundreds of mines where our National parks used to be. And blue sky and nice sunny beaches forget it Smelters and iron sand recoverers pour toxins into our atmosphere. Yep welcome to NZ after it has been raped and pillaged by the rich and shameless and Pete if you ain’t got 20 million plus you gonna be in the same boat, just slightly richer shit.
Welcome to NZ 2015 0.05% pure
Now does that sound like the New Zealand you would want to live in ?
Damn My imagination scares me, but is it true?
They will bleed you just enough to make you feel faint but don’t die right away.
At least not till they get another term.
“Just a little prick,” say the rich pricks.
Boscawen’s “face glows as his body hiccups”
Who the frak writes this drivel???
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10723934
Boy theres a lot of angry people on these forums. There is a life outside of politics you know :}
The last time I had reason to take a gecko at a KB general debate thread, there was a pretty vocal bunch spitting and fuming about the kenyan usurper, (which is par for the course), and they were pretty confidant that the great white hope taking the form of the Trumple would pull through and rid the US of that troublesome negro come the first tuesday after the first monday in November of next year.
This was laughable to me, even before Obama strangled its campaign in the crib, but was interesting in that it reminded me of the last time around when the mercans had their leckshuns and a similar bunch of KB yahoos were all excited about Giuliani, and that other fellow whose name escapes me but was most famous for pretending to be a tough nosed prosecutor on a popular and mediocre teevee show. The campaigns for those two prenders lasted a few months.
Trumps, not so much. Looks like they are going to have to find themselves a new hope. The field though, is pretty thin one has to admit.
Also, and too, the GOP is going to get The Man Called Petraeus up in front of congressional confirmation hearings and demand to know all about his views with regard to torture and such like.
This is funny, on two counts. or possibly one count with two parts, who can tell.
Them with memories may recall the TMC Petraeus is, in fact, Wyatt Earp. When he was given a triumph for his fortune in Iraq certain liberals were a bit rude in a mild kind of way and questioned the nature and scope of his success, and the truthfulness of some his assertions. They, for their trouble, were lynched. Motions were passed condemning the inappropriateness of statements questioning the honour of The Man Called Petraeus. It was quite the to-do.
As time moved on, and as aside, it became a matter of interest to some about whether or not T.M.C.P. might in fact be a little bit interested in running, himself, as a Great White Hope in 2012. This came to naught however because the Kenyan asked him to lead the mission up the Khyber, which was neat trick, some might say.
All of this sets up the situation with GOP preparing to confront T.M.C.P. about the use of torture. His views are quite well known to those that care to know, which only leaves the questions of whether the GOP is in that group thats cares to know, and if so what the fuck are playing at?
If you want to have some fun tomorrow morning PB hop on and make a comment like:
“If I make a donation to the National Party will the Government buy lots of goods off my company?” and watch the response …
Nats’ norty rort: I scratch your backside, you warm mine.
But did you see what that troublesome negro went and done at that correspondents dinner???? Roast Turkey, a Donald Turkey, oh it was a sight to see. And that should end that little hiccup in Obama land lol.
My son told me about that, and is still laughing about it. (He, (my son) also has a Kenyan father, and calls Obama his ‘cuzzie’)
John Key tells Steven Sakar on hard talk “NZ finds itself in quite a strong position as its Gross debt to GDP is under 20% currently” , thanks to Cullen’s rainy day prudence, which is quite different to what Key tells the public back home that NZ could end up like Greece..
Hardtalk clip here http://t.co/syRgyqy
Can someone explain is “Gross debt to GDP” = public government debt??
Yeah, it was noted some time ago that National, when it was speaking about the debt to NZ, was including private debt as well which allowed them throw around the 85% of GDP scare numbers. The only reason for them to do this would be to scare the people into accepting asset sales. If they were being honest, which seems to be inherently impossible for NACToids, they would have just counted public debt as it’s the only debt that the government can influence directly and what the asset sales would have paid off which, as you note, is only ~20% of GDP and isn’t at a level that is of any concern.
Now, the private debt is a concern but the only way that can be influenced by government is indirectly through monetary policy changes and National, so far, haven’t done anything about that. Ergo, we can assume that just don’t care about it.